Rumor Has It I Don’t Follow A-Class Morals - Chapter 14

Twenty minutes later, Ming Muyao picked up the takeout at her front door.

She grabbed a bottle of peach soda from the fridge—Su Yin’s favorite—and two glasses, then carried everything upstairs along with the food.

Su Yin had been sitting on the couch the entire time. The moment she saw Ming Muyao walk in with the takeout, she instinctively sat up straighter.

“No need to be so nervous. I just felt like chatting with you tonight,” Ming Muyao said with a bright smile. She sat down across from Su Yin, unpacked the takeout, and poured drinks for both of them. Su Yin got the fizzy soda, while Ming Muyao poured herself an orange-tinted iced beer.

Watching her pull everything out of the bag, Su Yin couldn’t help but softly say, “It’s not that warm out yet. Drinking something cold might upset your stomach.”

Ming Muyao glanced at the still-bubbling beer in front of her. After thinking for a moment, she said, “It’s fine. Just one bottle shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hearing that, Su Yin didn’t say anything more. She straightened her back and sat on the sofa stiffly, as if bracing for something.

After eating two skewers and drinking half a glass of beer, Ming Muyao finally felt refreshed. When she noticed Su Yin hadn’t touched her food at all, she asked curiously, “You’re not eating any of this?”

Su Yin shook her head and said, “You never used to like this kind of food. You said it was unhealthy.”

“I used to be that into health?” Ming Muyao seemed either tipsy or just in a really good mood. She took a few more sips of beer before asking, “Su Yin, can you tell me how we met?”

Su Yin clutched the hem of her shirt nervously and looked down. “…Why do you need to know? It doesn’t really matter how we met anymore.”

“It does,” Ming Muyao replied. “I want to know why I hit you, and why you wouldn’t leave me. I really can’t remember any of it, but I’m curious.”

Su Yin looked at her and said, “Isn’t it better not to remember the past?”

Ming Muyao shook her head. “Su Yin, I want to treat you well. That’s why I think I need to understand what we were like before. Only then can I change, and really be with you the right way. Don’t you think?”

I want to treat you well.

That sentence made Su Yin’s mind go blank for a second. She couldn’t even remember what “treating her well” from Ming Muyao used to look like. From the very beginning, all she could recall was how cruel she had been.

Su Yin fell silent, staring at the bubbles clinging to the inside of her glass. After a long pause, she finally said, “We met a year ago.”

At the time, Su Yin was in her final year of high school, preparing for the college entrance exams.

Compared to some of the more remote cities, the one Su Yin lived in was already considered quite friendly toward Omegas. They weren’t forced to drop out of school early to have children, or abandoned in the mountains to be fed to wild dogs just because of their gender.

Her family was poor, but Su Yin had always been content with her life.

And she would never forget the first time she met Ming Muyao.

Even though she was a senior, Su Yin’s grades were steady. She didn’t have big dreams—just wanted to get into an Omega Academy. Those schools were designed to provide higher education to Omega students. Su Yin hoped to get in, continue her studies, and maybe even become a teacher there one day. That kind of quiet life suited her.

But with a drunk, useless father and a stay-at-home mom, Su Yin had to work part-time at a shopping mall after school to save up for college tuition and living expenses.

That day, it had been pouring outside. The rain beat down on the store windows with a loud clatter, like someone was throwing balls against the glass.

Su Yin was standing at the entrance, waiting for customers. Though at that hour, there usually weren’t any. Even people looking to escape the rain would go to the bigger mall just a block away.

But then, someone pushed the door open, shielding themselves from the rain with a black leather handbag.

That was the first time Su Yin met Ming Muyao.

She was drenched, clearly in a foul mood. She’d only ever shopped in high-end boutiques before. This was the first time she’d stepped into such a small, nondescript store just to get out of the rain.

Su Yin saw that she was dressed head-to-toe in designer brands and quickly handed her a clean towel to dry off her hair and face.

Her makeup was ruined, her clothes were soaked, and even the brand-new runway-style leather shoes she was wearing were waterlogged—completely unwearable.

As Ming Muyao dried her hair, she watched Su Yin move around the shop, her gaze lingering on the girl’s pretty face and shapely figure.

“Hey, girl,” Ming Muyao said, sitting on the store’s small sofa with her legs crossed. Her tone was calm. “Pick out some clean clothes for me. I’ve got places to be once the rain stops.”

The store where Su Yin worked was small, with only two employees—herself and an older woman who worked the day shift. Right now, she was the only one there.

After confirming Ming Muyao’s size, she picked out a full outfit for her and even threw in a pair of socks for free.

When Su Yin knelt down to help her change shoes, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her. Looking up, she saw Ming Muyao watching her with a half-smile on her face.

She reached out with long fingers and tilted Su Yin’s chin up, her expression playful.

“Bring the clothes to the fitting room for me,” Ming Muyao said softly, her tone laced with implication. “If the service is good, I’ll give you a nice tip.”

…

Hearing all this, the current Ming Muyao froze, the skewer in her hand forgotten.

She finally understood why the former her had taken a liking to Su Yin. The girl was young, beautiful, and just happened to be her type.

Even if the old Ming Muyao had her flaws, she was still an adult. Someone like Su Yin—naive and innocent—would’ve been easy to manipulate. As for Su Yin’s family situation, Ming Muyao couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

“You married me… didn’t your family object?” she asked. “Even if you were head over heels for an older woman like me, I mean, your parents—weren’t they against it?”

And after that, Su Yin had suffered a year of domestic abuse. Ming Muyao had never heard anything about her family stepping in.

Did her parents really not care about her?

At the mention of this, Su Yin’s expression darkened. She said, “My dad’s a drunk. When he drinks, he hits me and my mom. A year ago, he got blackout drunk and beat her so badly she ended up in the hospital. The doctors said she had brain damage… and might never wake up.”

Ming Muyao fell silent.

She could already imagine the kind of hell Su Yin had lived through. Originally, she just wanted to share a late-night meal and talk about their future.

But somehow, this midnight snack was starting to feel heavier and heavier…